Focus & Productivity

The Developer Energy Model

Cognitive energy is finite and non-linear. Peak focus lasts 90-120 minutes max. Design your day around this, not against it.

High Energy (morning): Architecture decisions, complex bugs, new features
Medium Energy (mid-day): Code reviews, meetings, collaborative work  
Low Energy (afternoon): Routine tasks, documentation, admin, emails

Deep Work Protocol

For complex tasks (coding, architecture, problem-solving):

1. Block 90-120 minutes — no meetings, no Slack, phone on DND
2. Single task only — close everything except what you need
3. Write the task before starting: "I will specific outcome] today"
4. Start with the smallest possible first step — momentum kills inertia

Task Prioritization (Eisenhower + Developer Context)

| | Urgent | Not Urgent | |---|---|---| | Important | Do now (production bug, blocked teammate) | Schedule (tech debt, learning, architecture) | | Not Important | Delegate/batch (most Slack messages) | Eliminate (unnecessary meetings) |

Daily top 3: Pick only 3 tasks that would make today a win. Do those before anything else.

Managing Interruptions

• Batch communications — check Slack/email 3x/day, not constantly
• Async by default — most things don't need an immediate reply
• Interruption log — when interrupted mid-task, write down exactly where you were before switching. Return faster.
• Visible focus signal — headphones on = in deep work, don't interrupt

Fighting Procrastination

Procrastination = avoidance of discomfort, not laziness.

Techniques:

• 2-minute rule — if it takes < 2 min, do it now
• Eat the frog — do the hardest/most dreaded task first
• Shrink it — "I'll just write the function signature" → momentum starts
• Environment design — remove distractions before they happen (content filters, app blockers)
• Body doubling — work alongside someone (physically or virtually)

Sustainable Dev Habits

• End-of-day shutdown ritual: Write tomorrow's top 3 tasks. Close everything. Done.
• Weekly review (30 min): What did I ship? What blocked me? What's next week's priority?
• Protect sleep — cognitive performance degrades more from sleep debt than almost any other factor
• Move — 20 min of physical activity improves focus for 2-4 hours afterward
• No-AI sprints — occasionally solve problems without AI to maintain and grow fundamentals

The Reset Protocol

When overwhelmed or burned out:

1. Write down everything in your head (brain dump)
2. Identify the ONE most important thing
3. Close everything else
4. Work only on that one thing for 25 minutes
5. Take a 5-minute break
6. Reassess